And now it's three steps

back after two steps forward.  Becoming more like a polka.  Roll out that barrel baby!

 You would think this is the photo from days ago after I had removed the border because of being two stitches off.  And you would be wrong.  What?  That numbskull wouldn't have removed it the second time, it was aligned exactly as the chart.  Again, wrong.  I have so many faults they could be alphabetized, this one is in the S's.  Symmetry disorder.  I didn't want to say symmetry obsession because it's not always an issue.  Just when things aren't the same on each side.  Yep.  That's only a disorder, no?  

When I removed the basting and unrolled the left side, a second look made me realize that Miss Rachel was not blessed with a symmetry disorder.  Her left side is two stitches closer to that damn alpha border which made my original error symmetrical!  To end this dance, I scanned the left side into Paint, flipped/reversed it, and I am using the layout of the left for the right.  Basically the same, and now it's position will be also.  Once I clean up the fuzz left behind, I'll give it another go 'round.

It feels like Sunday evening but isn't.  Maybe too many sweets.  I made the banana cake with coffee frosting that Carol forced me to with her description and photo.  I am embarrassed to admit, I consumed 80% myself.  I do need to make an attempt to drop 10 pounds.  

If you're interested in the harvest soup recipe, go to my recipe blog and you'll find it along with Upstate Minestrone (cabbage and sausage favorite) and although I am a bean denier, French Market is also wonderful.  Our local meat shop smokes the best ham hocks and that actually makes the beans tolerable.

https://marlanco.blogspot.com/

Hmmm.  Now that I looked up the recipes and saw the Orange Julius I want one.

Have a nice Sunday, already the second in Awktober.  Damn skippy.

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Wow.

 I thought about it, and thought about it, and thought about it, and realized I was wasting a great deal of repair time trying to avoid it.  Big girl panties on, carefully reversing some and Lift 'n Snipping the rest.  This was a major improvement over my impatient hissy fits of months ago.  Well, weeks.  Maybe a few days. OK, yesterday.  And then, and THEN, I started stitching it again with correct placement.  Am I sure?  I was the first time and look how that ended.  So this time, I started with the stitch closest to that alpha border and worked out from there.  I hope to get the flowers back in tonight.  But I do believe this newfound tolerance is temporary because my laptop is still at high risk of a window toss.

We won't be getting our Covid results until Monday, still fine, and my cousin received a call to report to a hospital in Erie PA for monoclonal antibodies this weekend.  He would have received treatment today but it's a several hour drive and he couldn't get there in time.  I received this information about treatments, some for early stage and one is even for patients already on ventilators.  Some doctors are willing to offer, others may not.  If I may be at risk of a vent or dying, I would not hesitate.  I think everything and anything you put into your body has the possibility to adversely affect some and not others.  So here's a few, not all, that have shown to be life saving drugs against Covid.

My husband had to cancel the 36 hole last tournament of the year even though his group encouraged him.  Outdoor event, certainly distanced, but he did not feel it was right.  So I instructed him to make dad's harvest soup which I will partake in shortly.

Have a good evening.

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Well ..... crapola

 Getting tired of two steps back for every step forward.  I really paid attention to placement and alignment yet the page three border needs removed.  One error, the vertical stem, is so obvious I can't believe it wasn't noticed.  That of course threw the continuing stem and branches off one, but my start at the top was also misplaced which makes two.  The flowers will be touching the alpha border on the right side of the sampler and not on the left, very noticeable.  For counting over and over and over, this is very disheartening.  I feel like putting Rachel aside for now and choosing something easy.

And then ... my cousin is sick. Mark and he drove together for a four day golf vacation, roomed together, ate the same snacks, golfed together, played poker, visited a packed restaurant.  The entire group is vaxed.  But Monday, Mike became ill and got tested.  We learned this morning he is Covid positive.  So husband and I wasted the entire day, just got back home, trying to find a testing site that wasn't backed up for hours, would answer their fricking phone so we could register.  Neither of us have symptoms.  Can you tell if that swab is in one inch?  Why isn't there a bump or stripe on the stem of the swab to indicate that length?   Hold the spot and when our finger hits the nose, bingo!  You're in deep baby!  Mike asked about treatments since he is really sick, but was told even though there are many very effective (from infusions to pills taken at home) none are being made in anywhere near the quantity needed to save lives.  Why?  

We won't have results until Monday.  Keeping fingers crossed!

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Something tells me ....

 this hard to detail sampler will be a joy.  On Hogbristle (but you know I never comply), undaunting in its small size, peacocks, crowns, flowers, a row of wacky fun letters, an unusual basketweave at the bottom, no over one that I can see.

 Hit that Add to Cart button!

Jean Donaldson 1826 from Cross Stitch Antiques.

Bingo.

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Fading to darkness

  Losing the warmth and sounds of summer days is hard enough, but losing light is even harder to accept.  

This is 7:08.

In the blink of an eye and a few sips of iced coffee, 7:21.  

It happens so quickly.  

Today was warm and after a full day of errands and tasks, I enjoyed my swing  for almost an hour until the darkness and chill appeared and I went inside.

Once inside, made hotel reservations for her surgery and after seeing another price increase from 2 weeks ago, I got ticked and bought more stitching items.

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Good looking men

 that work hard, take pride in their work, go over and above to satisfy the client, respectful, take only lunch breaks, and never once pull out a phone, are greatly appreciated.  And even the owner comes out and contributes manual labor in record time.  Outstanding, and costing no more than others.  They just finished an out of town job at a college with retaining walls, new lawn, new shrubs, walk areas, laid stone steps.  One employee was here a few years ago to fix the mess that Jason left and Mark was grilling garden peppers, he offered him a grilled sandwich of Italian bread with peppers, garlic. and Velvetta (sorry, that is the BEST cheese for pepper sandwiches).  I did not remember of course since last week is already forgotten, but he mentioned that and said how much he enjoyed it and appreciated it.  

So here's my hydroseeded side yard where the sewer pipe was run to the street by an idiot.  Neighbors have a four to five foot wide area of dirt from a two foot bucket.  This guy brought in massive unnecessary equipment and destroyed ten times that.  No photos of the 100 feet of seed along the road where the pipe was installed by township workers (more great employees) and filled, leveled, seeded by the pepper guy.

This is off the gravel fill where the concrete patio once was.  Not sure what will be done there but it's walkable without twisting an ankle now.

So we have three weeks to surgery and I'm wondering if Rachel can be completed in that time.  But I am not Saltbox Stitcher or Brenda, no matter how I try.  I am already picking a few smalls to choose for the waiting room, something larger can be worked on at the hotel.  

I hear 'ya about the Medicare options.  I am the only one in our groups that has a supplement, not an advantage plan.  My cousin (advantage) was flown by helicopter to another hospital for emergency heart surgery, did not pay a penny.  They also get several hundred a year towards dental, and free eye exams and glasses.  I pay close to $200 a month, my drugs are very expensive with the mandatory plan D, no dental, no eye, nothing else.  Hard decision but you are correct, you cannot go back once you leave.   So switching to advantage and setting aside what I would be paying for other .... $2400 a year + $300 dental + $250 eye, almost $3000 a year to use for co-pays and testing, is something to think about.  Roll over every year and I cold have a tidy sum for uncovered bills, and if not used, pay off the damn sewer project!

Have a nice Sunday, first one in fricking October. 

 You know it's chilly when Petey sleeps in his house.

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